The  School  Use 
of  Cleveland’s 
Public  Library 


OICiVEHSifr  ur  iLL-w..  . 
■JUL  15  192] 


foie  of  a Series  of 
bulletins  on  What 
Heveland’s  Public 
chools  are  Doing 


The  Work  and  Interests  of  the 
Cleveland  Pnhlic  Schools 

From  time  to  time  the  Board  of  Education  will  issr 
monographs  on  the  work  and  interests  of  the  Cleveland  Pul 
lie  Schools.  These  monographs  are  published  for  the  info: 
mation  of  the  citizens  of  Cleveland.* 

(Monographs  issued  or  in  preparation:) 

♦1.  Adenoids  and  Arithmetic. — By  Dr.  L.  W.  Childs,  Director  of  Med 
cal  Inspection. 

A bulletin  concerning  the  work  of  the  Department  of  Medic 
Inspection;  School  Nurses;  Dental  Clinics;  Open  Air  School 
School  for  the  Crippled;  Dispensaries. 

2.  Ancient  and  Modem  Languages  in  the  Schools. 

3.  The  “Shift  Plan.” — ^A  plan  to  relieve  congestion. 

4.  School  Gardens. 

5.  Factory  Schools. 

*6.  Getting  Out  the  High  School  Paper. — A Cleveland  Course  in  Nev> 
Writing — By  Clara  C.  Ewalt,  East  Technical  High  School,  D 
partment  of  English. 

7.  Cleveland’s  One-Story  School  Buildings. 

8.  The  Continuous  Census. 

9.  Pipes  of  Pan. — Music  in  the  Schools. 

10.  The  Price  of  Education. 

11.  Art  in  the  Schools. 

12.  Housing  Cleveland’s  School  Children. 

13.  The  Kindergartens. 

14.  The  Testing  Period. — The  Junior  High  School. 

*15.  The  School  Use  of  Cleveland’s  Public  Library. 

16.  Teacher  Training.  i 

17.  Smith-Hughes  Work.  ^ 

18.  The  Senior  High  School.  ‘ 

19.  The  Place  of  the  Special  School. 

20.  Technical  Training.  , 

21.  All  Year  Schools. 

22.  The  Field  of  the  Commercial  School. 

♦23.  Salary  Schedules  of  the  Cleveland  Public  Schools. — As  adopted  1 1 
the  Cleveland  Board  of  Education  May  24th,  1920.  This  bullet  | 
also  states  the  qualifications  and  conditions  of  employment  I 
teachers,  principals,  supervisors  and  assistant  superintendenti 
*24.  A Garment-Making  Project  for  Sixth  Grade  Girls. — ^By  Adelaii 
Laura  Van  Duzer,  Supervisor  of  Home  Economics. 

*25.  Elementary  Embryology  for  High  School  Girls. — By  Ann  Crisw 
Arbuthnot,  Department  of  Science,  East  Technical  High  Scho 
♦26.  Program  of  Studies  and  Curriculum  Organization  in  the  Juni  c 

High  Schools.  ^ 

Persons  desiring  monographs  should  address  the  Director  ; 
Publications,  Board  of  Education,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  . 


♦Issued. 


(3  2,7.<fi./ 


The  School  Use  of 
Cleveland’s  Public  Library 

Go  into  any  of  our  city  libraries  at  3:29  any  afternoon. 
>erve  the  neat  rows  of  books,  the  orderly  arrangement  of 
furniture,  feel  the  peace  which  pervades  the  atmosphere. 
m leave,  to  return  at  3 :41. 

Is  it  the  same  place?  Yes.  At  any  rate,  the  walls  and 
ing  are  there.  But  where  are  the  orderly  rows  of  books? 
/astated  as  by  a hurricane.  Where  is  the  furniture?  Hid- 
by  dozens  of  restless  little  bodies.  And  where  is  the  at- 
sphere  of  peace?  Gone,  apparently  never  to  return. 

“I  want  a book  about  the  animals  of  Africa.”  “So  do  I! 
, Teacher  told  me  to  get  that!”  “Well,  can’t  I get  one,  too, 
want  to?” 

“All  of  us  want  a book  about  Moses  Cleaveland.” 

“Will  you  find  me  a picture  of  the  second  Mayflower? 
5,  it  was  the  second  Mayflower.  I wrote  it  down.” 

“I  want  a side  view  of  a camel  to  make  in  school.” 

“I  want  a book  I can  take  home  about  steel.” 

“Please  give  me  one  about  the  invention  of  the  telephone.” 

“Teacher,  I had  a book  about  steel  that  I have  to  have  for 
ool  and  this  boy  took  it  away  from  me.”  “Well,  what  did 
. lay  it  down  for?  I’ve  got  to  have  it  for  iron.” 

“My  teacher  wants  to  know  if  you  will  send  her  ten  books 
ut  Canada?” 

And  so  on. 


How  the  Librarian  Works 

Ask  some  friendly  child  whence  they  all  came  so  suddenly, 
i,  you  will  be  told  from  the  school  across  the  street.  Linger 
Lile,  and  you  will  find  that  the  boys  and  girls  who  are  in 
rch  of  fairy  tales  and  picture  books  hunt  for  themselves 
Dng  the  collection  of  these  books,  always  depleted  though 
:iuently  replenished.  But  those  who  have  been  fired  by  zeal 
extend  their  knowledge  on  school  subjects,  go  to  the 
arian.  A wise  school-teacher  has  so  instructed  them,  bav- 
in mind  those  shy  and  unresourceful  children  who  wander 
olessly  from  shelf  to  shelf  in  the  hope  of  finding  a book 

1 


whereon  is  emblazoned  their  special  topic;  grapes  in  Eure 
for  example. 

Just  as  the  crowds  and  confusion  begin  to  grow  less,  th 
is  a fresh  influx  of  children  from  a more  distant  school,  i 
until  about  5 o’clock,  school  children  almost  possess  the  ph 
There  is  little  deliberate  disorder,  however. 

The  old-fashioned  librarian  of  fiction  would  no  do 
throw  up  her  hands  in  horror  at  the  absence  of  quiet  in 
busy  times  after  school,  and  go  away  lamenting  the  days  wl 
children,  if  allowed  in  the  library  at  all,  tip-toed  about  i 
spoke  in  whispers.  But  would  not  the  old-fashioned  sch 
teacher  or  superintendent  be  horrified  if  she  or  he  happenec 
on  a socialized  recitation  ? So  long  as  we  have  “purposeful 
tivity”  neither  teacher  nor  librarian  tries  for  prison-like  qu 

Getting  the  Right  Book  to  the  Right  Child 

“Teacher,”  though  she  may  not  realize  this  fact  at  ( 
tain  times  in  the  schoolroom,  becomes,  by  the  time  her  pu] 
reach  the  library,  an  authority  on  all  subjects.  Her  light 
mention  of  a book  is  sufficient  to  send  forty-three  out  of 
forty-eight  pupils  to  the  library  in  search  of  it.  Or  perh 
she  assigns  a subject  to  one  or  two  children.  Then  it  at  o 
occurs  to  the  other  young  students  that  one  way  to  “mak 
hit  with  Teacher”  is  to  get  a library  book  on  the  same  s 
ject.  This  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  for  detective  w 
on  the  part  of  the  library  assistant. 

The  official  seeker  after  knowledge  knows  what  he 
after,  but  the  volunteers  do  not.  She  must  then  find  what  i 
ticular  child  really  has  the  first  right  to  the  book,  and  at 
same  time  induce  him  to  take  something  else,  if  the  bool 
not  in.  This  is  sometimes  difficult,  for  the  youth  of  our  h 
seem  to  have  been  brought  up  on  the  motto,  “Accept  no  s 
stitutes.”  It  is  fortunate  that  the  members  of  the  staffs 
the  branch  libraries  and  the  teachers  in  the  neighbor 
schools  usually  know  and  like  one  another,  or  occasionally  n 
understandings  might  arise.  But  the  librarian  goes  to 
school  and  the  teacher  comes  to  the  library,  so  each  kn< 
what  the  other  is  about. 

Delightfully  Important  Young  Persons 

A few  years  ago  the  libraries  were  absolutely  with 
child  readers  during  school  sessions.  But  since  the  vogue 
the  project  method,  committees  of  small  and  delightfi 
important  young  persons  come  in  school  hours,  and  solem 
collect  facts  for  a report  to  the  class.  Then,  too,  pupils  fi 

2 


story  Hour  in  a Branch  Lihrai^. 


y schools  appear  at  all  hours.  In  the  case  of  certain 
3ols,  classes  are  brought  to  the  library  for  instruction  in 
use  of  books  and  libraries. 

Besides  the  calls  for  books  directly  instigated  by  the 
3ol,  there  are  now  and  again  some  interesting  requests 
n children  whose  interest  in  some  subject  has  been  aroused 
their  school  work  and  who  read  more  along  the  same  line 
: for  their  own  enjoyment. 

The  teacher  who  reads  aloud  some  classic  of  childhood 
Pyle’s  “Men  of  Iron”  may  not  know  that  for  weeks  and 
iths  after  that  reading,  her  pupils  and  her  pupils’  friends 
asking  for  that  book. 

All  this  about  branch  libraries.  But  the  twenty-six 
nches  are  not  the  only  libraries  used  by  the  schools.  Eight 
nentary  schools,  six  junior  high  schools,  and  all  of  the 
ior  high  schools  have  their  own  libraries. 


Discipline  Not  a Problem 

A satisfactory  feature  of  school  library  work  is  that  the 
it  of  the  school  largely  takes  care  of  the  discipline,  and 

3 


Children’s  Room 


the  librarian  can  devote  herself  entirely  to  her  legitimj 
tasks.  This  is  fortunate,  for  the  staff  of  the  library  is  alwa 
small  in  proportion  to  the  work,  which  often  equals  in  volui 
that  of  a branch  library  with  a larger  staff  and  open  for  lon^ 
hours.  “Preserve  us!  Makes  me  think  of  a bargain  sah 
was  the  comment  of  one  young  woman  who  happened  intc 
school  library  at  3 o’clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  elementary  school  libraries,  to  some  extent,  sei 
the  neighborhood  as  well  as  the  school.  In  a school  libra 
knowledge  of  just  what  the  schools  are  teaching  is  indispen: 
ble.  The  librarians  of  the  senior  and  junior  high  schools  c( 
duct  classes  in  the  use  of  library  tools, — reference  books, 
dexes,  catalogs,  and  so  on.  The  students  look  to  the  libra 
not  only  for  books,  but  for  clippings,  magazine  material  a 
aid  in  their  school  work  generally.  The  high  school  libra 
is  recognized  as  an  absolutely  essential  feature  of  the  mode 
high  school. 

Advantages  in  Classroom  Libraries 
Classroom  libraries,  first  sent  out  to  Cleveland  schools 

4 


\,er  School  Hours. 

rSO’s,  are  still  an  effective  means  of  reaching  children  who 
without  other  library  facilities.  Last  year  460  sets  of 
b thirty  to  forty  books  each,  were  sent  to  seventy-five  of 
:110  elementary  school  buildings,  beside  others  to  parochial 
i)ols  and  various  institutions.  One  advantage  of  these  small 
> carefully  selected  collections  is  that  since  the  range  of 
Lce  is  small,  the  children  read  and  re-read  the  books,  and 
become  interested  in  the  attractive  informational  books 
ich  they  too  often  slight  when  they  have  access  to  the 
1th  of  fiction  in  a large  children’s  room. 

The  students  in  the  School  of  Education  have  at  hand,  in 
building,  a large  pedagogical  collection  and  have  access  to 
:h  supplementary  material  on  all  the  subjects  in  the  cur- 
ium, and  to  the  most  usable  reference  material.  The 
ng  women  in  the  Normal  department  receive  as  a part  of 
r training,  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  library,  in  story 
ng  from  folklore,  and  in  children’s  literature,  from  a mem- 
of  the  library  staff.  The  children  from  the  Observation 
ool  come  at  stated  times  to  select  books  from  a very  good 

5 


children's  library.  The  teachers  and  the  Normal  pupils, 
training  at  the  Bolton  Training  School,  find  here  books  1 
use  with  the  children. 

The  branch  librap^  recently  established  at  the  Board 
Education  gives  specialized  service  to  the  members  of  t 
school  board  and  headquarters  staff,  and  is  a medium  for 
formation  on  all  educational  literature  and  an  aid  in  edu» 
tional  research. 

Special  Department  Serves  the  Schools 

The  work  of  all  these  school  libraries,  as  well  as  1 
library  work  with  night  schools  and  Americanization  classi 
is  administered  through  the  School  Department  of  the  Put 
Library,  the  office  of  which  is  at  the  Main  Library. 

The  school  board  and  the  library  board  share  equally^ 
the  salary  expense  of  the  school  libraries.  Books  for  elems 
tary  school  libraries  have  been  bought  largely  from  put 
libraiT  funds,  while  those  in  the  School  of  Education  libr£ 
and  in  the  junior  and  senior  high  schools  are  bought  fr 
both  school  and  library  funds. 

The  Main  Library,  being  in  a business  district,  has  fev 
school  children  coming  to  it,  although  older  boys  and  gt 
often  seek  here  a wider  range  of  choice  than  their  neighb 
hood  libraries  afford,  and  high  school  debaters  are  nearly 
ways  present  in  numbers.  The  teachers,  of  course,  make  gr 
use  of  this  library’s  resources,  for  the  benefit  of  their  pup 
The  Parents’  and  Teachers’  Room,  which  specializes  on  cl 
dren’s  books;  the  Fine  Arts  Division  with  its  pictures;  ' 
Technology  Division  with  its  material  on  science  and  man 
training;  the  History  and  Travel  Division;  the  Literati! 
Division,  especially  useful  to  English  teachers ; the  Philosoj 
and  Religion  Division  with  its  books  on  child  psychology  i 
character  training;  and  “Desk  3,”  otherwise  known  as 


Every  High  School  Has  a Library,  io| 

6 


A Boys’  Club  at  the  Woodland  Branch. 

This  branch  is  in  a Jewish  district  where  a great  many  of  the  resi- 
lts are  newcomers  to  America. 

There  are  more  than  thirty  clubs  meeting  at  this  branch  through 
winter.  Several  of  these  have  held  together  for  a number  of  years 
have  grown  from  junior  clubs  into  senior  clubs.  The  librarians 
’6  watched  these  foreign  boys  grow  up  into  American  citizens  and, 
iperating  with  their  public  school  teachers,  have  guided  them  in 
ir  reading  and  thinking  and  have  aided  in  their  development. 

With  headquarters  at  this  branch  library,  too,  are  debating  and 
matic  organizations  of  boys  and  girls  and  young  men  and  women, 
are  conducted,  under  supervised  leadership. 

This  phase  of  library  influence  in  young  lives  may  be  seen  in  all  of 
branch  libraries. 

biology  Division,  where  may  be  found  educational  literature ; 
these  are  used  by  teachers  in  increasing  numbers. 

The  comparative  lull  that  comes  with  vacation  time  shows 
w much  of  the  work  is  done  by,  for  and  through  teachers 
1 pupils. 

Children  Borrow  2,000,000  Books  in  Year 
In  the  whole  library  system,  the  number  of  juvenile  books 
culated  divided  by  the  number  of  children  under  fifteen  reg- 
ered  as  library  borrowers,  last  year  gave  an  average  of 
^ books  drawn  by  each  child  in  the  year.  Averages,  though 
netimes  misleading,  are  usually  more  understandable  than 
np  sums,  and  this  average,  since  we  can  safely  assume  that 
arly  all  children  under  fifteen  who  can  read  go  to  school, 
Dws  something  about  the  home  reading  of  our  school  chil- 
m.  During  the  school  year  of  1919-20  nearly  2,000,000 
oks  were  issued  on  boys’  and  girls’  cards. 


The  history  of  the  relation  between  Cleveland’s  scho 
and  libraries  has  been  written  elsewhere,  especially  in  one 
the  volumes  of  the  School  Survey,  but  no  mention  of  the  cl 
dren  or  libraries  can  be  made  without  calling  to  mind  the  wc 
of  William  H.  Brett,  for  over  thirty  years  librarian  of  1 
Cleveland  Public  Library,  who  first  made  provision  for  cl 
dren  in  the  public  library,  and  to  whom  the  interests  of  sch 
children  were  of  prime  importance. 

Cleveland  schools,  it  is  said,  make  more  use  of  the  pi 
lie  library  than  do  those  of  most  other  large  cities.  Why  is  th 
Because  more  and  more,  teachers  and  librarians  have  reali2 
they  were  working  on  the  same  job,  the  education  of  a co 
munity.  The  teacher  does  not  “help  the  library”  by  using  1 
influence  with  her  pupils  to  get  and  read  books;  she  is  helpi 
the  child  to  acquire  what  is  essential  to  his  education,  name 
ease  and  pleasure  in  reading. 

The  library  assistant  does  not  “help  the  teacher”  i 
marily  when  she  supplies  her  or  her  pupils  with  additio 
material  on  school  subjects,  but  merely  does  her  part  in  ei 
eating  the  child.  Because  of  the  understanding  of  this  f 
by  those  high  in  the  councils  of  Cleveland  schools  and  Cle| 
land  library,  Cleveland  children  and  teachers  make  wondi 
ful  use  of  their  library  facilities,  and,  with  even  better  undl 
standing  of  the  truth,  the  community  will  provide  m| 
library  facilities  to  use. 


Library  at  Cleveland  School  of  Education 


Published  by  the  Division  of  Publications, 
Cleveland  Board  of  Education, 

April,  1921. 


uartERSVii  of 


JUL 


